The Red Hood
by Lady Moonwolf
Summary: Hermione sank to the ground on her back as her strength gave out and gazed up at the night sky. The moon was so bright it almost seemed like it was daylight. It was so very lovely. Her eyes closed and she felt as if her daughter was there with her in the end. And maybe she was. It was Samhain after all. Her lips twitched into a small smile. She would see her soon. Dark fic...


Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Harry Potter realm. I just really love to play in the wizarding world. It all belongs to JKR. I make no money from this story.

A/N: So, it's been a really long time since I've done any writing. So, I feel a bit rusty. But I want to try and get back into the thick of things. This is just a little one-shot. It is a follow up to a previous story that I wrote a few years ago. It's titled Who Is Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf? It isn't available on fanfiction I'm afraid due to graphic content. You can read it over on AO3, adultfanfiction, and The Writers Coffee Shop. Also, if you read my work in the past, you might have noticed that I've changed my penname. I'm now known as Lady Moonwolf. I wasn't able to change it on all platforms so if you can't find me under that name, it is still under cullens_pet. All that being said, the following story is graphic and contains violence. No lemons, but plenty of Hermione style retribution. This is a dark fic. I do hope you enjoy.

The Red Hood

It was October 31st, 2001. Three and a half years since the final battle. Four years since she last saw _him_.

Her eyes stared sightlessly at the stone in front of her as she remembered the events from that night. The pain and the terror that she felt. The violation of her body. The irrevocable tie that had been forced upon her.

A still uncompleted bond.

She left Harry's house many moons ago, seeking to alleviate the ache that she'd felt from the unfinished bond. She'd been gone for about a week searching for her tormentor when she'd gone into labor. She had to abandon her plans. She'd gone to her childhood home to deliver the baby.

She couldn't risk St. Mungoes. She was too well known. And she didn't want her friends to find her. She knew Harry wouldn't accept what she was doing. She also didn't want Malfoy to know that she'd delivered their child.

It was dangerous. But she was used to danger. She'd filled the bathtub with water and delivered the baby in her parents master bath. She'd labored for hours, cursing Malfoy's name loudly since she'd silenced the loo and no one could hear her screams. Finally, with an exhausted final push, her baby entered the world.

She had been prepared to hate the infant because of the circumstances surrounding its conception. That all flew out the window when she looked into her daughter's eyes for the first time. Despite the fact that she'd been raped, that she'd been violated in the worst of ways; she couldn't hurt the innocent babe that suckled at her breast. She didn't choose her father. And she certainly wasn't him though she looked very much like him.

So, Hermione had shifted her focus. She would live for her daughter. SHe could ignore the ache for him now that she had her. She had moved them to the United States, putting an entire ocean between them and Malfoy. She wouldn't risk her precious girl.

That had seemed like a lifetime ago.

She stared at the white, granite stone and blinked away her tears. She'd only gotten a few precious months with her daughter before she'd been cruelly ripped away from her. Hermione had gone to bed that night, just like any other night. When she had woken the next morning, Nova was gone; her body already stiff and cold in her crib.

Hermione was strong. She was tough. Nothing that had happened to her had ever broken her. But the death of her beautiful daughter all but destroyed her.

She buried her sweet baby in a clearing in the woods near her cottage. She wanted to keep her child close. It was one of the advantages of where she'd decided to settle down. She lived in the Pine Barrens in New Jersey.

Reportedly haunted by something the muggles had dubbed the Jersey Devil, the woods were vast. Of course it wasn't really haunted, but it kept muggles away. It was isolated and she didn't really worry about someone from England tracking her down. She hadn't returned after Nova's death. She stayed secluded. She didn't want to endanger anyone.

Instinctually, she knew that Malfoy was still alive and out there. She knew that if her found her that he would attempt to complete the bond that he's initiated. He would try to impregnate her again.

She would never allow that to happen. The first time she hadn't wanted to kill Malfoy. She didn't want his blood on her hands. The next time, she would have no such compunction. She would bathe in his blood for all the pain that he'd caused her.

He may not be directly responsible for Nova's death but her sure in hell had a heavy hand in her conception. He was the direct cause. He'd knotted her with express purpose of spreading his genes.

Even after all that, Hermione had loved her daughter with all her soul. She had the most beautiful curly, blond locks and the same silver-grey eyes of her father. She was living reminder of her father, but Hermione hadn't cared. She'd loved being a mother.

And then she was gone.

Hermione knelt over the grave, her red satin cloak brushing against the base of the cold stone. She used her wand to clear off the dirt and debris. Then she brushed away the leaves on the base of the stone. She reached out, her fingers trembling as she traced the black lettering that glowed faintly in the soft glow of the moonlight.

Nova Jean Granger.

She had come to her grave on Halloween night, on Samhain, despite the fact that it was a full moon. It was dangerous. But the veil between the two worlds was at its thinnest. She'd hoped to communicate with her daughter, just to know that her little girl was alright.

The tiny Hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she froze as she sensed a presence behind her. She spun around quickly, her wand at the ready defensively in front of her. Her grip on slender piece of wood grew tighter when she saw who was intruding on her sanctuary.

There, on the edge of the clearing was the man that haunted her nightmares.

Draco Malfoy.

He looked different from the last time she'd saw him.

He had grown up and out. Taller and bulkier, he was a man now. He also had long hair and a beard.

She was not surprised to see him even after all these years. She still pined for him, still ached for him. It was only a matter of time before he found her. She couldn't hide forever.

But she was ready for him this time. After her daughter's untimely death she had spent her time preparing for the inevitable confrontation. She used it as a distraction form her grief.

She'd exercised, getting back her pre-baby body. She increased her stamina and her strength. She had dove into spell creation and perfected some offensive and defensive spells that could be used effectively against a werewolf. Since she was part wolf herself, she had some insight into their physiology and magical signatures.

She had also honed her wandless magic. She still preferred to use her wand, it was far easier. But she didn't have to have it to protect herself. It most definitely wouldn't be like last time.

Finally, she'd become an animagus. She figured that she would be an otter. It was the shape of her patronus. Or a wolf maybe because she was part wolf now. But she was wrong. She was a harpy eagle. She was a giant bird of prey. Her wingspan was seven foot across from tip tp tip. Her body was covered in slate black feathers and her underbelly was white. She thought her form was rather pretty.

And she was at ome in the forests that surrounded her house. She frequently hunted in her animagus form to satiate her hunger for fresh, bloody meat. She quickly learned that she was quite powerful. She could easily take down a deer, her long talons piercing their skulls with ease. It had also amused her to no end that she was contributing to the areas haunted reputation. More than once a muggle had spotted her and thought she was the infamous Jersey Devil.

She stood facing Malfoy, her long red cloak fluttering lightly in the wind. With her improved eyesight, she could see his nose twitching and scenting the air. She could smell his musky odor from where she stood.

She tamped down the longing she felt for her mate. It surged up from within her now that he was so very close to her after all these years. Her body wanted one thing and her mind wanted another. She wouldn't allow him to finish the bond. She would kill or be killed before she let it happen. There wasn't any other option.

She watched warily, his eyes silver-gold in the bright light of the full moon. She was surprised that he revealed himself in his human form. It was his weakest form.

"Granger," his voice rasped.

It sounded as if he hadn't spoken aloud in a long time.

She didn't answer him.

She regarded him coolly, weighing her options. Should she attack him outright or should she wait to see what he had to say? He had gotten the best of her last time. It might be in her best interests to take him by surprise before he had the chance to get the upper hand. But she was curious.

He took a step toward her and her wand sparked dangerously.

"Stop," she hissed between her teeth.

He halted immediately his hands up in supplication.

"Its been a long time, witch," he replied. "It took me ages to track you down. Very slippery for you to leave the continent. I never thought for one moment that you would leave Potter. But, here you are."

"I had a good reason to," she said simply.

She watched him shiver and his eyes flash pure gold at the sound of her voice. She readied herself in case he turned and attacked her. She knew the mating instinct was strong in him. It might compel him to ignore the danger presented to himself.

"You look good," he said finally after he'd gotten control of himself.

"What do you want?" she asked after they'd stood there staring at each other for a few long moments.

He wet his lips, the pink of his tongue visible to her sharp eyes. "You know what I want, witch. You've known it for years."

"I'm afraid that you've made a very long trip for nothing Malfoy," she bit out. "I didn't want what you had on offer then and I damned sure don't want it now."

He smiled, his eyes dancing wickedly. "I beg to differ, Princess. I can smell your musk from here. And it smells like the sweetest ambrosia."

He took another step toward her and she she let loose a nonverbal stinging hex as a warning. He yelped and stared at her angrily, his eyes wild and completely golden.

"I'm warning you Malfoy," she threatened. "I'm not the same girl I was then. You'd do well to heed my words and slink back to England and find some other witch to attach yourself to."

"It doesn't work that way," he retorted. "And you know it."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Not my problem."

She watched him as he seemed to war with himself internally on how he was going to respond. It wouldn't be too long and he would take on his true form. He looked to be struggling as it was. Not that it was surprising. He had mated her and she was supposed to be submissive to him. His wolf didn't know how to handle it, how to handle her.

"Look," he growled finally. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. We've done it the hard way before. I know you didn't enjoy that. I didn't enjoy that."

"How dare you!" she raged. "You don't get say anything about that night with regards to how I felt about it! You have no idea what I've been through! You haven't even asked about the child that you created that night!"

His eyes softened. "So, you did have a baby. We have a child. I am a father."

"Had," she corrected.

She stepped aside, revealing the smooth expanse of granite behind her.

She watched impassively as he read the elegantly carved words. She watched as he experienced his first taste of the grief that she'd carried with her for years.

"It was a girl," he whispered.

She nodded slowly.

Silence filled the clearing as he processed the turn of events.

"What happened?" he asked finally.

She cleared her throat as it closed up. "I'm not sure," she confessed. "I fed her and put her to bed. The next morning she was just gone."

"We'll just have to try again," he reasoned.

"There won't be another try Malfoy," she seethed. "Nova's death crushed me from the inside out. There is nothing left of my heart to give. Never mind the fact that will never let you touch me again after what you did before."

"It was necessary," he growled angrily.

"No, it wasn't," she spat. "You did that for pure fun. You toyed with me. Then you tore me apart. It won't ever happen again!"

His eyes danced with mirth. "You forget, my dearest Granger, that I'm a good deal stronger and faster than you."

She took her stance and readied herself. She had hoped that she could reason with him, that he would leave her in peace. But the bond between them was too strong. And his wolf would force him to try and complete it. It would be his downfall.

"You really want to do this?" he questioned. "Don't say I didn't give you an easier option, you hard-headed witch. You know that my wolf demands that we finish the bond that Potter interrupted. It will end just like it did before."

He arched his back and howled loudly at the moon as his real form burst forth, his clothes shredding and falling to the ground beneath him.

She let her first hex fly as he sprang at her. It caught him slicing his leg deeply near the hip. He snarled and crashed toward her across the clearing. It didn't slow him down at all. She fired another spell that missed him as she rolled away from her daughter's gravestone.

She threw herself to her feet as soon as she stopped rolling. Her wand had snapped when she hit the ground but she was ready for that. She fired her altered stunning spell with her hand. He howled when it made contact with his chest. It slowed him down but it didn't stop him.

Hermione turned and fled, her red cloak flapping behind her. Time to show him that she wasn't the same helpless witch. She urged her legs faster as she pictured her animagus form in her mind. It was harder to change on the move but she had a good incentive crashing through the trees behind her. She could almost feel his breath against her back. She had visions of that terrifying night flashing through her mind. She forced herself to calm down when the panic threatened to overwhelm her. She wouldn't let him win.

Not again.

Her body began to shrink and her clothes slipped off her as she completed her transformation. She let out a shrill cry as his paw swiped her from behind. Her body rolled and crashed to the side. She beat her powerful wings furiously before he could bite her. She took off just as he lunged at her, snarling ferociously.

She settled in the tree above his head, considering him. He howled again and jumped trying to reach her. She wasn't sure how to broach an attack on him. He was still bigger than her. Surely, he was stronger. But she had her beak and her talons. It would be easier if he was running from her, if she was the one doing the hunting.

She would have to trick him into resuming his human form. And she knew just how to do it. She would sit and wait.

He snarled and paced. He jumped trying again to reach her in the tree. She watched with her sharp eyes at his futile attempts. Finally, he changed back to his human form.

"You are clever," he conceded.

She ignored his nakedness, ignored the terror that welled up in her as the memories threatened to drown her. Instead, she focused on her anger. Her fury. That would give her the strength to do what had to be done.

She left her perch as he fired a spell at her. This was part of her plan. He couldn't do magic as a werewolf. And he couldn't catch her without magic. She dodged the spell easily, and flew right at him.

Her talons found their mark. They ripped mercilessly into his exposed chest. She clawed him savagely and sank her beak into the tendons of his neck. He screamed hoarsely as she used her wings to pull away from him as he tried to grab her. He pressed a hand to his neck as it gushed, the blood squirting in time with his heart.

He was mortally wounded. She ignored the pang that went through her when she saw the tears in his eyes. She let him be, as he limped slowly back to the clearing and collapsed on their daughter's grave.

She flew back to her clothes and redressed. Then she followed the trail of blood, back to her unwanted mate.

"Why?" he croaked painfully. His throat gurgled unpleasantly as he gasped.

"You know why," she answered softly.

"But you'll die too," he whispered, his eyes glassy as he stared up at her.

"I know," she soothed. She used her bloody fingers, fingers that had rent the flesh of his throat, to push his hair out of his eyes. She felt sorrow for him. He was her mate after all, but she couldn't let his prior transgression of her person go unpunished. She couldn't allow him to continue on. He was a Death Eater, unrepentant and untried from his crimes. It was up to her to be his judge and jury.

And his executioner.

With one last shuddering gasp, the light left his eyes. With a whispered spell, she turned his body to ash. Then she laid him to rest next to their little girl. She sank down on the soft earth with an exhausted sigh. She was already growing weaker. She would be dead by dawn.

She conjured a bit of parchment and transfigured the blood on her hands to write. She penned a letter to Harry, giving him her coordinates and what her final wishes were. She apologized again for leaving so long ago and for leaving him to clean up the aftermath. She told him that she'd taken care of Malfoy.

She summoned her familiar. Pandora came and landed on her outstretched arm. It shook under the strain of her weight.

"One last job, my beautiful girl," she murmured.

The harpy eagle looked at her and she could swear that the creature understood exactly what was screeched softly and ruffled her feathers.

"Take this to Harry Potter," she instructed. "It is a very long journey. It will be hard. Deliver this and then you are free my love. You are free to go wherever and whenever you will."

Pandora accepted the parchment and rubbed her sharp beak affectionately against her cheek. Then she was gone.

Hermione sank to the ground on her back as her strength gave out and gazed up at the night sky. The moon was so bright it almost seemed like it was daylight. It was so very lovely. Her eyes closed and she felt as if her daughter was there with her in the end. And maybe she was. It was Samhain after all. Her lips twitched into a small smile. She would see her soon.

End Note: Soooo, thoughts? I did warn at the beginning that this was a dark tale. Nevertheless, I do hope that you enjoyed it.


End file.
